Chapter 161 - 160: Lying Is Not a Good Habit

"I’ve got a knack for reading people, okay? His eyes were darting all over the place—he’s obviously lying." Leo Grant didn’t even spare a glance for the man trussed up on the floor, his gaze lowered to Yvonne Lowell.

"As for Moonshadow... even though we’ve never had direct contact, Falcon isn’t the type to resort to such underhanded tactics. People might call him a bandit chief, but everyone knows he doesn’t just rob anyone and everyone."

"I agree with that! When there’s trouble, Moonshadow always tackles it head-on. They’re off-the-charts powerful! Even if Falcon really wanted to expand into Continent R, he’d probably just swagger right up to our door. Besides, he controls pretty much the entire underworld of Continent N already. He’d have to be bored out of his mind to come to Continent R for our few scraps," Nolan Crawford chimed in.

Ian Lynch’s lip twitched. ’It’s true Moonshadow is incredible, but we’re not exactly small potatoes, you guys... Do you really have to talk up the enemy while putting us down?! Why are you in such a rush to cement your reputations as freeloaders?!’

A barely perceptible smile touched Yvonne Lowell’s lips. ’So, my reputation on the outside is this good, huh.’ As for "bandit chief," wasn’t that a compliment to Falcon? At least, that’s what she’d always thought.

Seeing Yvonne Lowell’s silence, Leo Grant grabbed her sleeve and gave it another shake. "Of course, my darling is the most amazing of all! Falcon is nothing compared to you!"

Yvonne Lowell: ’...’ ’Wow. Using me to diss myself.’

Nolan Crawford winced, unable to watch. He turned to vent to Zachary Jacobs and the others.

Only to see the two of them pressing their lips together, their faces flushed red as they struggled to hold in their laughter.

"You guys can’t stand him either, right? I’ve had it. It’s like he’s been possessed since he fell in love. I’ve known him for years, and I’m only just now discovering he has multiple personalities. I’m starting to think he only sees three types of people in the world: men, women, and Yvonne."

"Ahem, you can say that again. It’s unbearable to watch." Nina Jennings fought to keep her smile down. "But speaking of which, why does Moonshadow have such a great reputation within The Shadow Pavilion?"

’She suddenly had a desperate urge to see the look on Leo Grant’s face if Falcon, the so-called "nothing," were to suddenly appear before him. Come on, Yvonne, just out yourself already, damn it!!’

"Sigh, it’s because we admire the strong, isn’t it? We’re not a bunch of brainless fools. And between us, I’m dying to meet Falcon one day. Not to fight him, just to see what kind of mind it takes to build an organization that powerful."

Zachary Jacobs thought to himself: ’Falcon is standing right in front of you, and you’re completely oblivious.’

But what he said aloud was, "Falcon is impressive, but I’ve heard the other two elders in Moonshadow are pretty incredible, too. What are their names again... If I’m not mistaken, one of them is called Scorpion, right?"

Nina Jennings’s lips twitched. ’Could you be any more shameless? Fishing for compliments is one thing, but to not even include me...’

"Right, the other two elders are Firefox and Scorpion. But let’s not talk about them. It’s not like we’ll ever meet Falcon, so there’s nothing more to say. Let’s get back to roasting this poor fool in love..."

Nolan Crawford launched into a full-on roasting session, and he and Nina Jennings started chattering away about Leo Grant, showing no signs of stopping anytime soon.

This left Zachary Jacobs’s expression to twist and contort, shifting from annoyed to furious to outright distorted.

’So you’ll go on and on about Falcon, but when it comes to Scorpion, suddenly there’s "nothing more to say"?!’

Yvonne Lowell reached out and gently pinched Leo Grant’s knuckles, asking casually, "How do you want me to pay him back for you?"

Leo Grant’s eyes lit up, but his words were deceptively innocent. "I just want to know who the real mastermind is. The rest is up to you. I know you won’t let me be bullied for nothing."

Yvonne Lowell glanced up at him and saw him looking down at her, a sweet, well-behaved smile on his face.

’Well... he does look rather ’docile’ (not really). Fine, whatever.’

Yvonne Lowell waved a hand at Ian Lynch, signaling for him to step aside.

Ian Lynch didn’t understand, but he complied, moving obediently to the side.

"You sit here and be a good boy, okay?"

Yvonne Lowell patted Leo Grant on the head, picked up the dagger from the table, then got up and walked over to the captive, crouching in front of him.

A cryptic, unreadable smile touched her lips. Her expression was something between a smile and a smirk as she looked at him.

"Lying is such a bad habit, you know. Why don’t you tell the truth?"

"Everything I said is true! I’m with Moonshadow!" A chill shot down the man’s spine, and his breathing quickened.

"Alright, if you say so." Yvonne Lowell sighed, her tone like that of someone humoring a stubborn child.

Her gaze then fell to the bleeding wound on the man’s thigh. She let out a soft laugh. "So sorry about that. My boyfriend can be a little heavy-handed. Why don’t I take that bullet out for you?"

"N-No, you don’t have to." Dread crept into the man’s heart, his face a mask of panic.

He didn’t know if this woman had some other identity, but she terrified him—even more so than Leo Grant had.

He hadn’t forgotten how she had burned his two companions to death with fire, or that every single one of the gunshot wounds on his body had been inflicted by her.

"That won’t do. You came all this way for us—we have to show some basic hospitality. I may not be a doctor, but don’t you worry. This isn’t the first time I’ve taken out a bullet."

Yvonne Lowell wore an expression that screamed, ’I’m only doing this for your own good.’ The dagger in her palm moved unhurriedly toward the man’s thigh, slicing through the makeshift bandage and his combat pants.

"It’s a bit primitive here, I’m afraid. No anesthesia, so you’ll have to bear with the pain. But a killer like you, living life on a knife’s edge... you’re not afraid of a little pain, are you?"

With that, she plunged the dagger straight into his thigh.

The man let out a muffled grunt. To him, her face, which others might see as a beautiful, smiling flower, was now a terrifying, demonic mask.

’A demon! She’s an absolute demon!’

"Hmm, I can’t seem to feel the bullet. Must be in there pretty deep. Let me just... have a look."

The smile never left Yvonne Lowell’s face as she leisurely stirred the dagger inside his thigh, even giving the handle a little twist.

The man couldn’t hold back a wretched scream as fresh blood pulsed out, spilling onto the floor.

Nolan Crawford couldn’t help but swallow hard. Damn, this was even more intense than the scene he’d witnessed back in Country A.

’At least last time he’d only seen the finished product, not the whole gory process.’

He turned his head to look at Leo Grant, only to find him watching the scene with a gentle expression, his eyes filled with nothing but adoration.

’Yep. Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder.’

He glanced at the other two beside him, who both looked completely bored. He couldn’t help but ask, "What’s with the faces? How can you two be so calm?"

Nina Jennings shrugged. "It’s not that I’m calm, it’s just... this is boring. She’s being way too gentle this time, slowly torturing the guy just to let her man vent."

’The show sucks, and Silas Lynch isn’t even here. So lame.’